


sunshine in your smile

by HazukiNinja



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Based on a Tumblr Post, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Self-Indulgent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:21:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28226811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HazukiNinja/pseuds/HazukiNinja
Summary: The man slammed a handful of crisp bills on the counter. “How do I passive-aggressively say ‘fuck you’ in flowers?”Kuroo stared at him. Then slowly, a wide, delighted smirk stretched across his face.His Tuesday was looking better by the second.-Or, that one tumblr post, starring grad-student, part-time flower shop employee Kuroo and harried, newbie teacher Suga.
Relationships: Kuroo Tetsurou/Sugawara Koushi
Comments: 10
Kudos: 82





	sunshine in your smile

It was the kind of flower shop you expected online influencers to flock to for a cottagecore-in-the-city photoshoot. The walls were a verdant green backdrop to mismatched wood tables holding buckets of blossoms and greenery. Soft folk music played from speakers behind the counter, and when the afternoon light shone through the large front window, everything took on a hazy, romantic glow.

It was unfortunate that such a beautiful scene had to be desecrated with something as depressing as lesson planning for Kuroo’s “Intro to Chem” section on Friday. 

Kuroo loved chemistry. He wouldn’t be getting his Master’s if he didn’t. He also generally enjoyed teaching, and was torn between pursuing research or an academic position after graduation. 

However, the section he TA’d for on Fridays was making the former option look more appealing by the week. It was the worst possible combination - the smart kids were loud and obnoxious, constantly derailing the class, and the students who were struggling weren’t able to ask the questions they needed. It didn’t help that this week was going to be one of the most difficult in terms of sheer amount of content, and Kuroo was metaphorically (and close to physically) banging his head against the counter as he struggled to figure out how best to contextualize the different concepts for his freshmen. 

With a heaving sigh, Kuroo shoved his chemistry textbook and notebook aside and glanced around the shop. It was a typically quiet Tuesday afternoon, the way he normally preferred it. He applied for the part-time job with the knowledge that, as long as he didn’t slack on keeping things tidy and filling orders, he would likely have plenty of downtime during his shifts to study. For the most part, this assumption held true. Sure, the weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day had been an absolute nightmare (the shop owner almost called the cops on a man who kept banging on the door after closing on February 14, demanding they let him in “just for one minute, please, I know you’re in there”), but now, on a weekday in early May, there was really nothing to do. 

Kuroo kicked his heels against the stool legs morosely and glanced at the door, willing a customer to appear. He gasped as a woman suddenly walked by the window, paused to look at the flowers… 

And kept walking. Kuroo groaned. 

He was in the middle of debating whether he should sweep the floors for the fifth time or reorganize their Christmas decorations when the front door flung open and the bell tinkled in alarm. Kuroo stared. 

Framed by warm spring light was a beautiful man, draped in a soft cardigan and waves that signaled an impending murder. 

_Well,_ Kuroo thought distantly, _at least attempted murder would be a distraction_.

Kuroo remained frozen in place on his stool as the man huffed, trying to catch his breath, silver hair falling over his forehead. He didn’t seem to really see Kuroo, caught up in muttering to himself as he marched over to the counter, yanked a slim wallet from his trouser pockets, and slammed a handful of crisp bills on the counter. 

“How do I passive-aggressively say ‘fuck you’ in flowers?”

Kuroo looked down at him. The clock ticked loudly in the silence. Neither broke the intense eye contact.

Then slowly, a wide, delighted smirk stretched across Kuroo’s face. He raised a questioning eyebrow, and the customer returned the look with crinkled eyes and a small twisted smirk of his own. Kuroo leaned across the counter.

“Do you want passive-aggressive? Or just straight-up aggressive? Like, we don’t stock poison ivy for obvious reasons but I know where to get some if you can wait until tomorrow for the bouquet.”

The man’s smirk bloomed into a bright, mischievous grin. Kuroo felt his heart skip a beat. 

“Unfortunately it can’t wait until tomorrow, so we’ll have to make do with what’s in the shop. I appreciate the offer though.” He leaned in towards Kuroo, as if they were conspirators. “I know that there are different meanings to flowers, so I was hoping that maybe some of them wouldn’t be quite as nice as ‘I love you’ or things like that. Can you make something like that?”

Kuroo was nothing short of thrilled. This was almost as good as the dramatic bouquet of red roses he’d made last month with a personalized card that read, _I know you’re cheating on me with Yuna_. 

“It would be my absolute pleasure. But,” he raised a finger, “on one condition.”

The young man tipped his head. “What would that be?”

Kuroo smiled as he slipped off his perch to his feet. “While I make your bouquet, you have to tell me who pissed you off. If you don’t mind,” he added hurriedly.

“Are you kidding? You’re making me the flower arrangement of my dreams and I get to talk your ear off about how horrible my coworker is?” He laughed as he leaned fully against the counter, watching as Kuroo meandered through the maze of flower buckets. “You should charge extra.”

Kuroo considered a delicate red flower while his mind raced with flirtatious responses. “ _You could pay me back with a coffee later,_ ” nearly popped out of his mouth before he coughed. “The therapy’s free of charge. I charge extra for popping someone’s bike or car tires though.”

He smiled victoriously at the sound of another laugh, and listened as the man outlined his plight. He was a first-year elementary school teacher, barely out of university himself, and one of the senior teachers was making his life miserable. It was normal for new teachers to get the short end of the stick on extra work and the like, but she was absolutely piling it on him. On top of that, she always dismissed his ideas but would turn around and offer them up as her own to the school board, stealing all the credit. She undermined him in front of other teachers, parents, his class, and always had plenty of criticisms. 

He sounded close to tears by the time he explained that in between dressing him down in front of the principal, she mentioned that today was apparently her birthday.

“It’s just so frustrating. I just want to teach, you know? And I _know_ I’m a good teacher. And the kids are great, and I love them all so much already. But we’re only two months into the school year, and I don’t know how I’m going to last.” Kuroo watched as the man gave a watery chuckle and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand. “So when she mentioned it was her birthday, something in me just snapped. I need to look like I’m sucking up to her while being as petty as possible, because if I don’t rebel somehow, I’m worried I’m going to start screaming.”

Kuroo felt the bundle of different flowers in his arms tremble as he shook in quiet rage. He kept his face as blank as possible as he walked up to the counter and carefully set them down, before turning to the young teacher.

“What’s your name?” 

He stared into confused eyes. “Um. Sugawara Koushi?”

“Okay. Good. I’m Kuroo Tetsurou.” He bobbed his head in a small bow. “Now that we know each other’s names, we’re officially friends. That means I’m giving you the friend discount on everything. The flowers, the therapy, and the tire slashing. All free of charge.” He nodded resolutely. 

Sugawara choked for a moment and waved a hand. “No, no, you can’t-”

Kuroo was already shaking his head. “No, trust me, I do. I have to. Because if I don’t help you get back at this monster, I am going to find where she lives and... throw eggs at her or something.”

The silence stretched between them for a moment, and Kuroo worried that maybe he took things a step too far. Then, Sugawara bent over in half and began to laugh in earnest. Kuroo chuckled, then threw his head back and laughed too. 

Suddenly a hand was wrapped around his arm. Sugawara was starting to slide down the front of the counter, in tears from laughing so hard. “I’m sorry- I’m sorry, but,” he hiccuped. “You just look like such a hooligan, b-but you work in this c-cute flower shop, and you were so nice, and then,” he squeaked and looked up at Kuroo, “Then you said you would throw eggs at her! And I-I…” Sugawara descended back into hysterical giggles while Kuroo flushed.

“I am a nice guy,” he grumbled, running a hand through his tall black hair. “I just don’t like bullies.”

The silver-haired man finally looked up again, and wore the biggest smile. Kuroo flushed again, but for very different reasons this time. “I know. You are really nice. I thundered in here and with a ridiculous demand, and then you just rolled with it. I-” His eyes suddenly went wide and he whipped his head over to the clock. “Oh my god, my lunch break is almost over! Can you- can we-”

“Yeah, one second.” Kuroo leapt backwards and ran behind the counter. He talked as he quickly bundled the flowers into a passable bouquet. “So these ones here are geraniums, they mean stupidity. Those purple-pink ones, they mean insincerity, and those ones next to them mean uselessness.” He shoved some greenery in, rearranged the flowers brusquely, and grabbed twine to secure them all together. “The yellow carnations symbolize disappointment or disdain, and the orange lilies, our star of the flower show here today, mean hatred.” 

Sugawara watched intently, a smile still firmly on his face, cheeks red from exertion. “Are you absolutely sure I can’t pay you? This is some of the best handiwork I’ve ever seen.” 

Kuroo glanced over as he wrapped the flowers in brightly colored cellophane. He stayed quiet as he handed the bouquet to Sugawara. “I’m sure. But…” He swallowed and smiled, hoping the other man couldn’t tell how nervous he was. “Will you stop by soon, and tell me how she likes them?”

Clutching the flowers to his chest, Sugawara nodded. “Absolutely. I’ll bring you a coffee or something and we can talk shit about your coworkers next time.” 

Kuroo thought he might literally ascend. “Cool. Yeah, that sounds great. I’m here until 5:00pm tonight, and the same time Thursday. Whenever.” He begged himself to stop talking.

Sugawara’s smile widened as stepped back from the counter. “I really do have to get going, but I’ll be back soon. Thank you for everything, Kuroo-san.” 

“Bye, Suga-sensei!” He waved. He watched as Sugawara stepped out the door and headed down the street before stepping into the back room, out of sight of customers. Then, he raised his fists and punched the air a few times in celebration. Kenma would tease him later, after he shared everything about his encounter, but Kuroo didn’t care. This was the best Tuesday ever. It could only get better if Sugawara stopped by at the end of his shift.

\--

Sugawara did not stop by at the end of his shift on Tuesday, or on Thursday. Kuroo’s hopefulness waned slightly, but he still had a spring in his step despite the chaos of his Friday section. The other teacher mentioned all the extra work and duties he had to take on - he probably hadn’t managed to sneak out on his lunch break or get to the shop before he got off work. 

But when the weekend passed, and the following Tuesday rolled into Wednesday, Kuroo finally gave into pouting. 

Kenma had only so much pity, but it was still better than Yaku. Kai and Bokuto were more sympathetic, though Kuroo had to actively resist Bokuto’s suggestion of searching local school directories for teachers called “Sugawara Koushi.” Kuroo was enamored, but not creepy. 

Thursday afternoon’s shift was punctuated with occasional customers wandering in and a few phone orders. Kuroo dutifully tidied the shop, posted a photo of a well-done, delicate (Boring, he thought to himself) bouquet to the shop’s social media, and tried to focus on his chemistry notes for the next day. He was distantly grateful when the phone rang, and he automatically lowered the music playing on the speakers.

“Hello, Furudate Flower Shop, Kuroo speaking. How can I help you?” 

“Hello, I was hoping to place an order for a bouquet?”

Kuroo dragged a notepad and pen over as he readjusted the phone. “Yes, of course. Did you have something in mind?”

“Well I got an excellent custom bouquet last time, and I was hoping for another one, if you aren’t too busy.”

“Not at all. Is the arrangement for a specific occasion? I can make some suggestions based on that.”

“Well, not really an occasion, but a specific message I hoped to convey. They’re meant to be apology flowers.”

Kuroo rolled his eyes. He wondered if the guy who cheated with Yuna was trying to win his girlfriend back. “Of course, that’s perfectly possible. When did you need these by? I can email you some potential flowers so you can decide-”

“Oh that’s not necessary!” The other voice cut him off cheerfully. “Whatever you choose will be fine, I’m sure. Can you include a personalized message too?”

“Definitely. What would you like the card to read?” Kuroo hoped it was something juicy that he could send to the group chat.

“I’m sorry I haven’t been by yet. If you’re interested, can I buy you coffee this weekend? From Sugawara Koushi.”

The pen fell from Kuroo’s hand.

“...um. Kuroo-san?”

Kuroo cleared his throat. “Yes, well, that sounds like a very sincere message. I’m sure the recipient will surely accept your apology.”

He heard a chuckle from the other end of the line. “That’s a relief to hear from an expert like yourself. How many apology bouquets do you have to make every week?”

“Not as many as you might think, Suga-sensei.” 

“So is that a yes to coffee?”

“Yes. That is a yes. Do you have a favorite place?”

Sugawara apologized again (his flower offering had not appeased the senior teacher, who had gleefully thrown more work at him and kept him from any sort of free time) and read off his phone number to Kuroo, extracting a promise to text later that day after they both got off work. As soon as they hung up, Kuroo slipped his phone from his pocket to frantically text his friends the good news and resisted the urge to dance. Sunday morning couldn’t come fast enough.

\--

After several days of texting conversations and uncontainable excitement, Sunday did eventually dawn, and Kuroo was out of bed and dressed well before the maybe-date. “It’s a date,” Kenma and Bokuto had insisted. Kai and Yaku were slightly more cautious, but both expressed optimism and wished him luck. 

Kuroo wasn’t the type to pin his hopes on good luck and wishful thinking though. He was a hard worker, trying to convince Sugawara (beautiful, passionate, mischievous, cheerful Sugawara) to maybe be more than friends was worth some legwork. That’s why he found himself currently walking to work on his day off, humming cheerfully. 

Despite the extra time he gave himself for his errand, Kuroo still ended up jogging the last few blocks to the coffee shop. He had been finicky and indecisive, and it literally took his boss shoving him towards the door to finally call it good enough. He stood out of view of the windows, catching his breath and frantically swiping at his bangs with his free hand. He glanced down at the item in his hand, took a breath, and strolled into the cafe with a practiced veneer of easy-going cheer. 

That veneer was promptly shattered when he caught sight of Sugawara, staring straight at him, a grin lighting up his face. Kuroo hoped his cheeks weren’t already flushed as he raised a hand in acknowledgment and made his way over.

“Good morning, Kuroo-san!” Sugawara greeted him brightly, his eyes sliding down to Kuroo’s hand. He raised an eyebrow. “Are... those the apology flowers I ordered?”

Determination gripped Kuroo’s heart with wild abandon, and he extended the bouquet out to Sugawara with what he prayed was a charming smile. “Nope. Different custom order.”

“Any special message attached to these flowers? I’m glad to see there aren’t orange lilies.”

Kuroo chuckled and slid into the chair across from Sugawara. “Well, there are a few different meanings. I’ll walk you through them.” He cleared his throat and resisted the urge to run his hand through his hair in nervousness. “So, uh, angelica? Yeah, those ones. They mean inspiration. Since, you know, you’re a teacher, inspiring the youth. You’re also an inspiration to me, to be my best, petty self.” Sugawara ducked his head with a smile and Kuroo thought he glimpsed pink on his cheeks. Hopefulness swooped in his chest and gave him the courage to plunge on. “Those ones that look like daisies? They’re actually chamomile, they symbolize patience in adversity. Which you clearly have plenty of, because you’re putting up with all that stupid stuff, on top of dealing with me spamming you with cat photos.” 

“Yes, looking at pictures of your adorable cat is really demonstrating patience in adversity.”

“I really don’t know how you do it.”

“It’s a trial, I assure you. What about the tulips?”

“Um. They mean sunshine in your smile. Since you have a really nice smile. And you should smile a lot. Not that I’m telling you to smile, just that I hope you have a reason to smile a lot. And the uh, big white ones mean ‘you’re adorable.’”

Kuroo kept his eyes on Sugawara’s face as he anxiously bounced his knee. As he rushed through the last two flowers, Sugawara had gone from potentially blushing to absolutely pink. Kuroo wanted to reach across the table and plant a kiss on the small mole on his cheekbone. 

Suddenly, Sugawara was standing up, flowers resting on the table. He stepped next to Kuroo’s chair and looked down at him with an unreadable expression. Kuroo tried to clamp down on the rising panic, with only mild success.

“You cannot come in here, looking like _that_ ,” Sugawara gestured broadly at Kuroo, “and give me those,” he pointed aggressively towards the flowers, “and expect me to not combust on the spot. I am absolutely furious with you. So if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go buy us both some coffee and try to get myself under control. Tell me what you want to drink, and try to be less…” He waved his hands frantically, and Kuroo’s face slid into a familiar smirk. The knowledge that Sugawara was interested and equally nervous gave him back his confidence and then some. “Sexy? Incredible? Obnoxiously perfect?” 

Sugawara’s mouth twitched. “Obnoxious is a good word I think. Tell me what you want.”

“Your obnoxious date would appreciate a latte.”

“Your adorable date will be back shortly.”

Kuroo gave him a cheeky grin, and turned back to the table. 

Forget Tuesdays. Sundays were the new best day of the week.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm a big lover of DaiSuga and KuroTsuki, but the potential for mischief with KuroSuga was too great to resist °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°
> 
> I'm thinking of doing a follow-up chapter/fic where Kuroo is Suga's date to a work function and he takes down the awful colleague. And maybe another one where they, y'know, smooch. Lemme know what you think!
> 
> Come yell with me about HQ and other weeb things on [Twitter!](https://twitter.com/HazukiNinja)


End file.
